Skirt Shirt & Crop Blouse

Over the last couple of years Ethnic skirts have made a scorching comeback thanks to designers like Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra, and Tarun Tahiliani who have rolled out collection after another featuring dreamy ethnic skirts paired with equally desirable blouses and tops. Today ethnic skirts are all about sheers, heavy embroidery, rich colors, delicate florals and patterns, and majestic fabrics.

Gone is the misconception that ethnic skirts are dowdy and too casual for an ethnic clothing occasion. And as is the case with any searing trend, the ways to style an ethnic skirt have grown and expanded and the lines have been blurred and we love it when that happens.

Your ethnic skirt doesn’t have to be restricted to the top you bought it with or just ethnic-wear for that matter, you can play around and jump on the fusion-wear bandwagon as well.

Here are the 3 ways we like to style our heavily embroidered and super-dressy ethnic skirts

1. Crisp Shirts
Fusion wear is hands down the best thing to happen to our generation. It gives us a chance to experiment and push the boundaries of self-expression. We think a basic crisp collared shirt in white or black make for the perfect companion to an ethnic skirt. The look is chic and experimentive. And can be accessorized with edgy pieces. Make sure the shirt isn’t too loose or too tight, it must just sit right when tucked in. Our choice of accessory would be a chunky watch and a glorious maang-tikka.

2. Crop and Dupatta
A crop is the easiest way to style your ethnic skirt and an off-shoulder crop is even more fun. Pick two colors from your ethnic skirt which you would like to highlight, amongst the two choose one for an off-shoulder crop and another for a dupatta. Ideally the dupatta should be the brighter color as compared to the crop. This would help create a visual balance. Pin the dupatta on one side of your outfit so that it stays taut and you’re good to twirl around.

3. Blouse and Cape
This is the only look where an over-the-top blouse is not on the memo. The emphasis here is on a basic sleeveless blouse with a deep neck and short length. Skip the embroidery and embellishments. Instead focus your energies on a sheer cape with delicate embroidery on the border, sitting all prim and proper on your shoulders, while your ethnic skirt continues to be the center of attention. Don’t forget to do some crunches before strutting around in this look.

All this talk about ethnic skirts, has some calling our single friends asking them to get married soon. We need an occasion after all.